


Books on the Bus

by EmpressOfEdge



Category: RWBY
Genre: AU, F/F, Fluff, The bees on the bus go round and round (i was singing this in my head the entire time and laughing), tumblr prompt from anon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 08:51:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21116054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressOfEdge/pseuds/EmpressOfEdge
Summary: Yang sighed, hugging her bag to her chest and resting her chin atop it as she tried her best not to touch the man next to her on the bus. He’d been inching closer and trying to start a conversation, still not taking the hint of “not interested,” even after the third round of being pointedly ignored.Public transportation was the absolute worst. No matter the form it took it was always hot, crowded, and reeked of sweat in the worst of ways. Not to mention the people that seemed to not understand this was a means to an end, and not a nightclub where people were looking for a good time.





	Books on the Bus

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this prompt from anon on tumblr! I felt inspired lol
> 
> _I’m so in love with your bee fanfics, your vision is actually unparalleled 😫😫 have you ever considered writing a ‘girl on the bus’ AU where Yang ‘useless lesbian’ Xiao Long pines over Blake ‘always has her nose in a book’ Belladonna everyday from afar as they take the same bus every morning??_
> 
> Hope Y'all enjoy!

Yang sighed, hugging her bag to her chest and resting her chin atop it as she tried her best not to touch the man next to her on the bus. He’d been inching closer and trying to start a conversation, still not taking the hint of “not interested,” even after the third round of being pointedly ignored.

Public transportation was the absolute worst. No matter the form it took it was always hot, crowded, and reeked of sweat in the worst of ways. Not to mention the people that seemed to not understand this was a means to an end, and not a nightclub where people were looking for a good time.

The man breathed _another_ compliment in Yang’s direction, his breath hot, laced with the scent of cigarette smoke and beer. Yang huffed and shot him a look, feeling her eyes flare red as his went wide and he leaned back, scooting out of her personal space… at least as much as possible. Satisfied for now, Yang heaved a sigh, resting her chin back on her bag and squeezing her eyes shut.

_God,_ she missed Bumblebee; but with her bike in for maintenance, Yang was forced to rely on the bus to get to work at least for a little while. She’d work from home if she could, but she’d left the blueprints for the latest prosthetic design on her desk and she wasn’t going to try and build it strictly from memory, understanding first-hand how important these were to the people that ordered them.

As the bus rolled up to the next stop, Yang opened her eyes, pleased to find that her recent travelling companion was leaving. Some of the tension drained from her shoulders as she watched a large portion of the bus actually depart, leaving a little more breathing room, now that the standing passengers had left or found seats of their own.

As the bus shut its doors and started down the road again, Yang chanced a glance around the travelers. There was an old woman towards the front, keeping to herself. A blonde man and a woman with shockingly red hair were snuggled close, his face flushing red as she laughed at something he said. A little further back a woman was talking a mile-a-minute to the man next to her, who seemed content to just listen to her go, with a slightly amused smile.

But the person who caught Yang’s attention the most was the woman tucked away in the back, legs crossed, ankle looped through one of her backpack straps, and nose stuck in a book. Yang couldn’t fathom how the woman could ever concentrate enough to read on the bus. Yang could hardly do it sitting on her couch at home. But there she was, eyes trained on the page easily, shoulders relaxed, the only tell that she was aware of her surroundings being the subtle flick of one of her cat ears every so often.

Yang wasn’t sure why she felt captivated by the woman’s mere existence, but she did, and she internally scolded herself for even thinking about trying to introduce herself – particularly after _just_ experiencing her own amazing moment with Mr. Beer Breath.

She wasn’t aware she was still staring until a pair of golden eyes flickered up to meet her gaze. Yang quickly looked away, feeling a blush burn its way up her neck, and trying to fight the impulse to look back up because she was sure she’d never seen eyes that color before. Golden and warm, like honey…

Despite her best efforts to train her eyes on the ground, she could tell the woman was still looking at her and Yang’s curiosity got the better of her. Her eyes bounced back to meet the stranger’s and Yang felt her heart beat a little quicker when – after a moment – the woman smirked at her, then turned her attention back to her novel.

The mix of giddiness and absolute embarrassment was strange, but Yang was willing to take it. But what did that look mean? Was it just a “caught you” between strangers on a bus? Was it a mutual appreciation? Was it an invitation? No, no, if she wanted to talk, she’d have come over…

The bus rolled to the next stop and Yang glanced up as people began to stand, the mysterious woman with the golden eyes packing up her book into her bag and slinging it onto her shoulder with grace, even as the bus came to a bit of a jolting stop.

As the doors swung open, the woman made her way to the front, not even sparing a glance at Yang as she passed by. There was the briefest of moments where Yang considered trailing after her and just walking to work from there; but that was quickly shot down by the smart part of her brain screaming that that would _definitely_ be creepy.

Instead, she watched as she disembarked and the bus pulled away, unable to shake the feeling that, maybe, she was missing out on something.

For the next week and a half, Yang was entranced by the mystery woman that always sat in the same seat on the back of the bus, lounged easily and always reading. She must’ve been a fast reader because – even after only a few days – the book had changed from _The Man with Two Souls_ to what appeared to be a sequel.

Yang always wondered what it was about. Wondered if knowing would give her some insight into who the woman was. She’d be embarrassed by her infatuation if the woman weren’t _so_ stunning. So interesting. Yang just wanted to know her. Felt like she was meant to. And while normally she’d think that was weird, and wrong; here… it just felt right.

So, she took to smiling at her and giving a friendly wave if they made eye contact – which they did. Every morning. From the second day that Yang boarded the bus to today, hopefully…

Yang faced the aisle after paying, glancing towards the back of the bus only to find the woman’s seat empty. Her heart sank and she felt herself deflate a little. It was silly – of course it was – but she was disappointed, having become accustomed to receiving her daily smirk over the pages of a book.

Yang shook her head. The woman had a life outside of their little bus exchanges. Yang knew that. She couldn’t be disappointed that she wasn’t there _one _morning.

With a sigh, Yang made her way over to her usual seat, dropping down into it and frowning thoughtfully at the vacant seat across the way.

The journey to work felt a little longer that day.

It was only after a full week had passed that Yang started to get worried. A few days could be an illness. But a full week? Yang had continued riding the bus, even after Bumblebee was back in her possession, because she just wanted to make sure the woman was okay.

The worst part about it was that she couldn’t _do _anything. She knew essentially nothing about her. Not even her name. Just that she was beautiful, and kind enough to entertain Yang’s awkward morning waves.

Besides, she could’ve been fine. Could’ve been away on a business trip. Staying with family. Hell, she could’ve taken a different job or something that wasn’t on the bus route. Yang selfishly hoped that one wasn’t true, and that, if it was, she might be able to stumble into her elsewhere.

Then, a terrifying thought hit her; what if it was _Yang?_ What if those waves in the morning had made her uncomfortable? What if—

“Hey.” The soft voice pulled Yang out of her downward spiral, and she looked up, eyes widening and mouth going dry as she gazed into gold. The woman before her was slightly disheveled, hair windblown, but perfectly so; and Yang just _stared._

Like a complete. Fucking. Idiot.

After a moment of silence, the mystery woman cocked an eyebrow, pointing to the empty seat next to Yang. “Do you mind if I…?”

Yang shook her head immediately and scooted just a little to make more room for her. The woman smiled as she sat down, letting out a long breath. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Yang’s voice definitely sounded shaky, but she couldn’t believe that the woman was _there. _That she was back. That she was _talking to her._ Sitting next to her. And oh _god_ she was even more stunning up close… and when she _smiled…_

“So, she does speak,” the woman said with a laugh, reaching into her bag and pulling out a well-worn novel. Yang couldn’t help but notice this one looked… different. She caught a peek at the title: _Ninja’s of Love…_

Yang blushed. At the woman’s words. At the book. Who could be sure?

“I’ve been known to, yeah,” Yang said with a grin.

“Well I wouldn’t know it,” the woman said, a smirk forming on her lips. “From past experience it’s been a lot of… staring. And waving.”

Yang scratched the back of her head, glancing away. “Ah. S-sorry.”

“No. No,” she said; and Yang looked back up into a teasing grin. “It’s fine.”

Yang nodded, shoving her hands into her pockets. Then, before she could think better of it, she was talking again. “I was kind of worried, y’know?”

The woman looked up from her book, raised an eyebrow. “About the staring?”

“N-no!” Yang’s cheeks flushed red as she looked away. “Well, I mean, yeah, but, no.” A low chuckle sounded from the woman and Yang cleared her throat. “I just meant… you—you weren’t here for awhile and I thought maybe… I don’t know, something happened? I was just worried.” She shrugged. Oh god, that sounded so stupid. Probably a little weird. It had only been a week and they didn’t even—

“Oh.”

Yang looked up to find the woman’s gaze fixed on her book, but it was clear she wasn’t reading. Her fingers worried the pages and Yang felt anxious.

“I just didn’t—I mean I’m sure you have like, friends and family and stuff that would know what was up,” Yang said, “but I don’t know… I just thought… hell, I don’t even know your name.”

There was a long pause and Yang resigned herself to the fact she was definitely not coming off as a worried acquaintance, but more like a crazy stalker. Why couldn’t she be blessed the ability to not make a fool of herself in front of beautiful women?

“Blake.”

Yang perked up, looking at the woman next to her. “What?”

“My name,” the woman said. “It’s Blake.”

_Blake._ It fit her. Dark and mysterious and smooth.

“Blake.” Yang just felt the need to say it, and it sounded right. _Felt _right. She smiled, reaching out a hand. “Yang.”

Blake smirked and shook her hand, Yang only wished she’d used her left so she could’ve felt it better. “So nice to finally have a name to tell people when they ask about the beautiful blonde on my morning commute I always mention.”

Yang was sure her face turned redder. Which, honestly? Impressive at that point. But she still grinned as Blake’s hand slipped from her own. “Beautiful, huh?”

“If not slightly awkward.” Blake smirked. “But I’ll leave that part out for now. Since you were kind enough to worry.” She glanced back down at her book before adding. “I moved, by the way. That’s why I wasn’t here.”

Yang rubbed the back of her neck. _Yep. Made sense…_

“Well, since we’re on speaking terms now – and you think I’m _beautiful –_” Blake rolled her eyes as Yang continued. “I should warn you, my bike’s finally out of the shop, so I won’t be using this… _lovely_ form of transportation anymore.”

A strange look of disappointment fell across Blake’s features as she glanced down, fiddling with the book in her lap. “O-oh.” She sighed. “Can’t say I blame you.”

Yang had more expected her to come back with a quip. Something about how _wonderful_ the bus was. So, it took her a second to find her footing, seeing she’d have to go about this next part a little more genuinely than she’d thought. It made her a little more nervous.

“I mean,” Yang said, swallowing hard. “We could maybe… hang out? Like, not on a bus? Sometime?”

“Are you… asking me out? On a bus?”

“Well, where _else_ would I—” Yang looked up to find Blake grinning at her, a hint of softness behind the teasing mask. She sighed. “Yes. I’m asking you out on a bus.”

Blake shook her head, handing over her Scroll for Yang to put her number in. “You knock public transportation, but it _did _just get you a date.”

Yang chuckled. “Yeah,” she said, “but wait til you see what the _bike_ gets me.”

Blake smirked. “Guess we’ll find out, Yang.”

Heat flared in Yang’s cheeks again, beat at her own game.

_Okay. So, maybe public transportation wasn’t the absolute worst…_

**Author's Note:**

> There ya have it! Just something light and fluffy because I need to do more one-shots! I guess y'all can send prompts on tumblr on occasion. If I feel inspired by it, it may happen :) 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! As always, please feel free to leave comments/ kudos if you've enjoyed! Feedback is always welcome too, of course!
> 
> Until next time, hit me up on tumblr: @empressofedge
> 
> And have a great day/ night!


End file.
